1236 Cuddle Puddle.

There are a lot of rumors about the “Furry community” and they are all true. Mostly because, just like any supposed community, there isn’t just one community. Much like an ogre furries, as a group, have layers. That said, I’ve never actually met these squeaky clean furries who supposedly represent the best of the breed. They are all sickos as far as I can tell, just like every other human on the planet, and can’t be bothered to conceal it very well. At best, I suspect these pure as snow furries have an alt account someplace where they vent all their repressed perversion. For my part I like the ones who just put everything on front street. Of course your average furry doesn’t go out of their way to advertise their real identity either. They just do what they do behind whatever mask they chose, and the questionable security of the internet.

I certainly don’t feel like part of a furry community, but I don’t feel like part of this “webcomics community” I often hear about either. I’m pretty clearly making a comic, so maybe feeling alone is something in me. I only know one furry very well, but he’s about the most open person I’ve ever met about practically everything. He’s also helped me a lot over the years and given me work occasionally. In my head though he’s just a friend I have who likes a thing that has all this baggage associated with it.

At the end of the day I guess I’m just this kind of fringe furry. Not interested in having a fursona, or going to conventions, or whatever. I just like drawing girls and furries don’t give me a lot of crap for liking fat ones. Also there’s my ear fetish to consider. Big adorable ears are the best.

In my time I have hung out with furries, transvestites, transsexuals, bisexuals, gay and lesbian boys and girls, one or 2 hermaphrodites, masochists, sadists, and almost just about any other kind of person there is.

I have learned that there are always going to be extremes, less extremes, and that just about everyone is gonna be all blushy when they’re trying to talk about it without talking about it :P

“There are a lot of rumors about the “Furry community” and they are all true.”
I KNEW IT!

At the end of the day I find it’s best to just draw what you like to draw, consequences and affiliations be damned. Clique names are just a quick way of identifying people without having to explain every little detail of their habits and thoughts. The problem is these terms became a funnel to categorize EVERYONE. Nice one society.

Well, that’s actually your brain. Humans categorize because we need to be able to make assumptions in order to function. The problem extends when the category doesn’t allow for exceptions, someone overgeneralizes, or the information in the category is incorrect.

I feel similar to you. I have, as I said, lots of furry friends. I’ve had a character on FurryMUCk since 1992, and have met quite a few people from there. I love anthro artwork and comics. But I don’t identify as a furry. In part, I admit, because I just don’t need any more stigma in my life, but also in part because I only ‘like’ it, not immerse myself in or anything the way I did with. say, Pern back in the day, or some people do Gorean lifestyles, or hardcore right wing people. That said, I stand up for them whenever I can anyway, so it’s not like I save myself as much hassle as I like to think. :P :)

That’s libertarians. It should be the right wing, but the establishment rarely reflects that and it’s light years from how the mainstream media portrays right wing. They’re all racist, sexist, bigot, homophobes according to the msm. (Three internets to you if you recognize the phrase.) At some point when you’ve been falsely accused long enough, you just accept the phraseology and remark on how it fits a party that likes Allen West, Ted Cruz, Condoleeza Rice, Sarah Palin, Marco Rubio, etc, etc. Maybe the Tea Party isn’t the vehicle of change. Maybe it’ll be the RSBH party.

The definition of furry is different depending “on which side” you’re on. According to the Internet Rules, there is pr0n of everything, so it’s safe to assume every fandom has a group that draws very explicit scenarios of the main characters…

I’ve literally seen someone who has drawn Adventure Time porn attack people who draw MLP porn “because it harms the kids” on a site that has an age restrictions and you can’t find pr0n unless you’re looking for it.

I also happen to know a furry who doesn’t even do cheesecake and plenty of people who have drawn what people would consider to be “furry pr0n” and deny being a furry.

In other words… It doesn’t make sense. People seems to fight over what is a furry and what isn’t furry because THEY don’t want to be furries.

The weird thing is, I know a lot of furries, but none of them wear costumes, or do anything that sick, the ones who have drawn sicker stuff are in the “Wha? I’m not a furry!” camp.

I was kinda “raised furry” internet wise, I found a free “game” called Furcadia where I met a few friends, who immediately made me switch to ICQ and introduced to a lot furry comics and other furries. It wasn’t until many years later when the furry hatred began and I was confused because I just don’t get it… Even back then a guy posted a horrible image implying furries had sex with their pets… only to find out he drew Digimon pr0n.

Not to mention Chris Hardwick who keeps attacking furries on “@midnight” says he sleeps in a “kigurumi”.

Geez, it’s almost like the people who hate furries the most are in the furry closet… :P

The whole furry/not furry thing is a really good illustration of how all human interaction works when it comes to how a person wants to be labeled, versus how others label them. There’s also that human desire to hate “those other people”, and as tolerance becomes the norm in other areas of life that desire needs new targets.

Actually, I have an answer for that one. the fact is, like crave said, there are those who pervert the image of the group (btw, just because you haven’t met a squeaky clean one doesn’t mean they don’t exist, I’ve yet to meet a fully tolerant christian, doesn’t mean they don’t exist). Because of this there’s a divide in the furry community. You have some who want to continue the perversion and others trying to clean up the image of their group just wanting to show their group isn’t inherently perverse. So they basically are at odds with each other and the other doesn’t want to acknowledge the others existence. It doesn’t help that there are those who aren’t fully up to speed on the sub-culture making assumptions about the fandom but expressing opinion making it seem like the group as a whole is perverted or sick.

I grew up with a bunch of awesome tolerant people, but nobody believes me. “Oh, the Mormons you spent time around weren’t busy trying to convert you 24/7? They weren’t REAL Mormons then” et cetera et cetera.

Again, I have to say that Alex is the best ever, of all time, the end. But then I also have to say thank you for being so respectful and simultaneously practical regarding the furry community! Thumbs up for speaking your mind in a non-threatening, non-hating way.

I can relate to a lot of what you’re saying. I have met/drawn pictures for self-identified furries and most of them are pretty much like your average person, weird in their own way with their own interests.
It’s cool you aren’t super-judgmental like SOOO many people on the internet, people always hate on groups for no real reason.

Also, big girls are the best and big ears are adorable, you are speakin’ my language.

And thank you people, I now have the word dickwolves permanently etched into my vocabulary. The dementia is my only surcease; with any luck, I’ll forget it in a day or two.

“They are all sickos as far as I can tell, just like every other human on the planet”

@Jackie, that’s about as deep and incisive as any statement you’ve made in your blog to date. People are always ready to cast the first stone, but they hide their own perversions while they scorn those of others. In the end, they’re all still human beings: hypocrisy, warts and all. Personally, I don’t care what people do at night as long as they keep their private lives private.

And yes folks, I do have log-ins on DeviantArt (even posted a couple things), FurAffinity and e-Hentai. But I only read them for the articles…

I firmly believe there is no such thing as normal, except maybe in math.

I’m willing to accept, tentatively, that there are averages in human nature, but anyone who insists they’re not strange is lying to someone, most likely themselves.

Seriously, who would want to live in a world where everyone was ‘normal’, or even most people? Our quirks and random traits and interests are what makes this world even remotely worth going through the stress and pain of waking up in the morning.

*shrug* meh, furries are just another kink like the rest of them, as far as I could tel. Not one I’d get one, until I could actually grow ears and a tail, because apparently fursuits make you overheat like crazy.

All I can say is keep it under your hat. Everyone has a fetish or kink and honestly one shouldn’t judge it isn’t a persons place to do so. I’ve seen some stuff some awesome had my curiosity set on “oh!?” and some not so awesome…. But that’s life, people’s opinions differ, people’s interest intertwine and diverge. And being completely honest alot of the less tolerant people will always find some arbitrary reason to hate I’ve seen it many times and it’ll never go away. It’s human nature yadda yadda (insert standpoint here). Me I say whatever floats your boat skipper. Cus a kink is a kink and you don’t need to know mine, I don’t need to know yours. Unless there’s some kind of exchange going on then it’s game time. lol.

You have this community, one you created with your amazing story. When I read the comment I mostly see level head kind people, people that your work brought togther. I guess there is a distance from those online but you have been warm and welcomeing (even if that wasn’t your intent) You have made life better.